


difficult to describe

by idrilka



Series: back and forth [3]
Category: Generation Kill
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-09
Updated: 2013-08-09
Packaged: 2017-12-22 22:16:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/918661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idrilka/pseuds/idrilka
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>“I wanted to tell her in person, it’s not something that should be discussed over the phone.”</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	difficult to describe

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer:** Based on fictionalised portrayals as seen on the HBO miniseries.  
>  **Notes:** I blame [celle](http://bluecartography.tumblr.com) for this one, too, because she wrote in her comment that she'd like to see the moment in which Hannah learns that Brad and Nate are together.

Brad’s in D.C., attending a fucking conference, of all things. He’s supposed to talk to the impressionable youth attending George Washington about what it’s like to be a Marine and provide a boots-on-the-ground perspective or whatever the fuck. Like they would understand anything. (On the other hand, Nate was recruited out of college, so who the hell knows, right?)

Whoever made this decision, though, hasn’t apparently met Brad Colbert in person or he’s a moron, or both, because to say that Brad is in general not a people person is like saying it’s rather warm in Iraq. Still, Brad’s not complaining, because this gig comes with a few additional days of leave, which means he doesn’t have to be back at Pendleton until next Friday.

The coordinators from GWU call him to ask if he needs a place to stay in Washington.

“My sister lives there,” he says, and if someone bothers to check that, they will find no evidence to the contrary. What they will never know is that Brad won’t be occupying her guest bedroom during his stay in D.C.

Brad flies in late on Saturday and uses his key to let himself in. He decides not to wait for the elevator and opts for the stairs instead, taking two in one stride.

Nate is in his study when Brad comes in, and he stands up to greet him—Brad watches him lean against the doorframe, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. He’s still wearing his reading glasses.

“How was your flight?” Nate asks and his voice is hoarse, like he hasn’t spoken in a long time, too preoccupied with his work.

“I still like this part better.”

Nate closes the distance between them in a few confident strides and closes his fist around a handful of Brad’s t-shirt, pulling him in for a kiss. “Me too,” he says with his lips against Brad’s mouth and darts out his tongue to tease Brad’s lower lip. He’s smiling like a kid on the goddamn Christmas morning.

Once Brad’s showered and fed, he turns his cell back on and checks his messages. There’s a text from Poke and a message on his voicemail left by Hannah.

_“Brad, mom sold you out.”_ He hears her voice, firm but laced with humor. _“I know you’re in D.C. You know what that means. Call me.”_

Well, shit.

“Hmm?” Nate raises his head, abandoning the book he’s reading for a moment to nudge Brad in the thigh with his toe. He must’ve said that out loud, then.

“My sister knows I’m here. She wants to meet up.”

Nate doesn’t hesitate even for a second. “You could invite her here to dinner tomorrow,” he says like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

Brad catches him by the ankle and pulls until they’re close enough for him to kiss Nate in that spot where his jaw meets his ear, the one that almost makes him purr in pleasure (even if he continues to firmly deny it, but Brad knows better).

“So, am I to understand that you’d be willing to play the ideal little housewife and cook for my sister?” he asks, grinning.

Nate raises an eyebrow. “Need I remind you that there’s _nothing_ little about me?” he replies with a small, wry smile and moves to grind against Brad, and yeah, definitely _nothing_ little about him.

“I love it when you talk dirty to me.” Brad’s still smiling when he bites at Nate’s collarbone. “But seriously, though. My sister, Nate.”

“I was serious. I’m game if you are.” Nate presses his lips to the corner of Brad’s mouth. “You haven’t told her yet, right?”

Brad shakes his head, suddenly growing more serious. “I wanted to tell her in person, it’s not something that should be discussed over the phone.”

Nate nods. “So, tomorrow, say, seven p.m.? Sounds good?” he asks. Brad breathes out against his neck and closes his eyes.

“Yeah, sounds great. I’m gonna go call her.”

The phone call is brief—Brad learns that Mark is not coming back from Baltimore until Wednesday so it’s just Hannah for the time being, is reprimanded for not letting her know he’s coming to Washington and gets a confirmation that seven p.m. tomorrow is indeed fine.

“How much did you tell her?” Nate asks when Brad comes out of the study. “I mean, about what to expect.”

Brad meets Nate’s eyes across the room. “I told her she was going to meet someone. I think she figured out the rest.”

**: : :**

Brad goes to get the door when Hannah arrives. Nate’s still in the kitchen, still fully clothed despite Brad’s suggestions that he could follow in Jamie Oliver’s footsteps. (He didn’t even dignify that with a response, just flipped Brad off and went to check on the fish.)

Hannah seems surprised that Brad would feel so comfortable in someone else’s apartment—she takes in the natural, almost nonchalant manner in which he opens the door and shows her in, and Brad knows she must notice a lot of things, like the fact that there are no women’s shoes standing on the shelves in the hall or that the jacket hanging next to Brad’s leather most definitely belongs to a man.

“So, they really made you _talk_ to, you know, breathing, living people?” She snorts as they make their way inside the apartment. “That’s gonna be interesting, to say the least. Just try not to traumatize them too much, okay?”

Brad sees the exact moment Nate comes out of the kitchen, and Hannah’s expression changes when she tries to hide the shock on her face.

“I believe you’ve met,” Brad says in a seemingly light tone, navigating between them, and he touches Nate—it’s an innocent, almost inconspicuous gesture, but Brad wants to make sure there’s no mistaking what’s going on here.

“We have.”

Nate smiles and holds his hand out; Hannah takes it and smiles back. Brad knows he’s hovering, but he finds his closeness to Nate reassuring. His fingers brush over the exposed sliver of skin where Nate’s shirt rode up, and he can feel him unwittingly lean into the touch.

“Wow,” Hannah says eventually, still slightly stunned. “That’s… not what I expected. I don’t mean that in a bad way. Just. It’s… unexpected? Does mom—”

“Yeah, she does. Dad, too,” Brad says and licks his lips. “I’ve been waiting to tell you in person.”

Nate darts a glance towards the kitchen. “Could we possibly continue this conversation over dinner? Because I think something is starting to burn, so if you’ll excuse me… Brad.” He makes a pointed gesture in the direction of the living room.

“Wine?” Brad asks, reaching for the bottle of Chardonnay as Hannah sits down.

“Yes, please. God knows I could use a drink right about now,” she says and then lets out a breathy laugh. “Fuck, Brad. You sure know how to surprise people. And don’t get me wrong, it’s great that you finally found someone, because after Jess, well, I wasn’t sure you’d ever dip your toe in that lake again, but I’m really happy for you. I’m just surprised. And worried. You know, with DADT still in place and everything…”

“We’re being careful,” Brad tells her. “It’s been working so far.”

She nods, playing with her wine glass. “So how long—”

“Three years, give or take.”

“Wow,” she repeats and takes a sip of her wine.

Brad spends most of the dinner watching Hannah watch Nate. It’s subtle, but it’s there—Brad knows that she’s cataloguing all of Nate’s gestures, analyzing everything about him the way she always does, and, judging by the almost imperceptible smile that appears at one point, she must see the way Nate acts around Brad when he’s allowed to be completely open about the nature of their relationship. It always comes so easy to him, Brad thinks, the casual touching, the looks, the natural sense of belonging and closeness Nate brings. It must show on the outside.

Brad glances at Nate then, who looks completely at ease, and when he stands up to clear the table and Brad automatically follows suit, Nate drops a kiss on Brad’s shoulder. It’s only then that he remembers they’re not alone, and he laughs quietly, rubbing the nape of his neck. When they make it back to the living room, Brad hopes Hannah doesn’t notice that Nate is a little disheveled and more than a little flushed.

**: : :**

Nate kisses Brad the moment the door closes behind Hannah and whispers a barely audible, “Thank you,” against Brad’s throat. He holds him close for a moment, burying his face in the crook of Brad’s neck.

Brad hums in response, and Nate shifts to look at him. “For doing this, here,” he clarifies. “It was really important to me. So… thanks for letting me in, Brad. I—”

“I know, Nate. You don’t have to say it. I know.”

Nate smiles at him, and there’s a crescent-shaped line forming in the corner of his mouth when he does that; Brad wants to smooth it out with the pad of his thumb. Nate’s fingers trace the line of Brad’s sternum under his t-shirt and his hand comes to rest on Brad’s chest when he says, leaning up to whisper into Brad’s ear, “Yeah, but what if I want to say it anyway?”


End file.
